After recovering from his injuries, Ruan Xing refused Pei Ye’s suggestion to continue lazing around in the hospital and returned to the original owner's home.

This was the first time he had come back to the original owner’s residence since arriving here.

Though located within the inner city, his place wasn’t in the city center. There were no crisscrossing highways here, only narrow and crowded residential alleys. Since it was already late, the warm glow of lights illuminated both sides of the alley, casting a soft glow on the dark path that lacked street lamps.

Power lines were tangled messily above him, spreading out in all directions and connecting countless households.

Several non-mutated birds perched quietly on the utility poles, observing the humans below.

According to the original owner's memories, birds loved utility poles in residential areas the most. From there, they could overlook the entire street and spot food at the first opportunity.

If he remembered correctly, crows preferred carrion, and their eyes were always filled with a greedy, opportunistic glint.

As for the one on his shoulder…

Ruan Xing glanced at Fu Gui, whose beady eyes reflected nothing but pure, unfiltered stupidity.

Fu Gui: [Did you just insult me?]

Ruan Xing: [You're overthinking it.]

After many twists and turns, he returned to his residence following the route indicated on the map.

It was an ordinary apartment building, with ivy creeping up the walls, indicating its old age.

Upon opening the door, the living room was directly in front of him. To the right was the bathroom, while two bedrooms and a kitchen were positioned towards the balcony.

Ruan Xing went to the room with an open door—it should belong to the original owner. The furnishings were so minimalistic that it was almost unbelievable.

The beige-colored bedroom contained a single bed with a small teddy bear resting on it. A bookshelf stood against the wall beside it, while a small storage cabinet was stacked on top of an opposite wardrobe. The only other piece of furniture was a chair.

The room was so small and clean that it was almost unsettling.

—A far cry from his Mage Tower.

Fu Gui: "So, you’re not some pampered young master after all."

Ruan Xing shot it a look. "Watch fewer TV dramas, especially with Pei Ye."

When it first met Pei Ye, the two exchanged sarcastic remarks. But after just a few days of hospitalization, Pei Ye and Fu Gui had bonded like long-lost kindred spirits—glued to each other, watching TV nonstop. Whenever something funny happened, the room would be filled with overlapping bursts of laughter and crow caws.

Admittedly, that was one of the reasons Ruan Xing left the hospital as soon as possible.

Fu Gui tilted its head. “Are you jealous of him or me?” It was clearly more interested in the second part of its question.

Ruan Xing unbuckled his waist pouch and hung it behind the door. “I just don’t want to team up with idiots,” he replied, but it was clearly an answer to the first part.

Fu Gui snorted arrogantly before flying over to the TV. It pecked at the power button with a sharp click before landing on the sofa to watch.

Meanwhile, Ruan Xing took off his dirty clothes and looked at his reflection in the mirror.

His skin was pale, his frame slender but well-proportioned, and his complexion smooth—evidence of a body that had been well cared for.

The Specialized Hospital had done an excellent job with his treatment. The wounds on his back had already healed into fresh pink flesh and would likely disappear entirely in time, leaving no scars behind.

This body…

It bore a 70-80% resemblance to his original appearance, especially the eyes.

For a brief moment, Ruan Xing felt lost.

Could his own memories be wrong?

What if he had once been an ordinary young man, and these foreign memories in his mind were simply the result of pollution?

Was what he had been searching for even real?

“Holy shit!” Fu Gui suddenly squawked.

Ruan Xing snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head slightly.

No.

His magic and the knowledge in his mind couldn't be lies. If he really had been polluted, would the source of his pollution really grant an entire functioning magic system?

Ruan Xing, with his upper body naked, pulled out a pajama top from the cabinet and buttoned it up.

Fu Gui hopped onto his shoulder, its claws gripping tightly. “The TV’s broken! Buy a new one! Or at least give me back my wristband!”

Fu Gui’s wristband had been confiscated due to its internet addiction. Now, it was acting like a desperate teenager begging their parents for a gaming console.

Ruan Xing had just received his wages but for only two days’ worth.

"No, and no."

Fu Gui let out a dramatic scoff before landing on the bed and ruffling up the covers in frustration.

The original owner had lived here with his father. The tightly shut room next door belonged to Ruan Zhi.

Ruan Xing tried to open it, but it was locked.

A thin strand of mycelium peeked out from his collar.

This strange organism had followed him back to the inner city, and when scanned, its pollution level was extremely low. He still didn’t know why.

The mycelium wavered slightly as if trying to assert its presence.

“You can pick locks?”

The delicate white tendril bobbed in affirmation before extending several fine threads into the keyhole.

Click. The door was unlocked.

Ruan Zhi’s room was even tidier than his. It contained only a bed, a desk, and a chair.

The desk had a few scattered items. A locked drawer caught Ruan Xing’s eye, so he asked the mycelium to open it as well.

A diary.

Ruan Xing had only ever written magic research notes, so he was somewhat curious about this world’s way of recording events.

Flipping to the first page, he read:

"Brat, I knew you’d snoop through my diary!"

Ruan Xing paused.

…This father was quite interesting.

He continued reading.

[Year 58, October 7th: My son was born! Haha! This old man is beyond thrilled. We’re celebrating tonight!]

[Year 59, September 1st: My boy called me ‘Dad’ for the first time! Best day ever!]

[Year 62, March 5th: My wife died in a pollution incident. How am I supposed to explain this to my son? Even as part of the Investigation Corps, I still couldn’t save her?]

Everyone recorded their lives differently.

Ruan Zhi’s writing was simple and direct, listing only major life events with a brief reflection. It hardly felt like a diary and more like a chronicle of his life's major events.

Ruan Xing flipped further. Perhaps the father had lost patience over time, as the later entries were no longer dated. Instead, they became raw expressions of thought.

[Xingxing (星 xīng = Star) is growing up, but he’s becoming more and more withdrawn. But that’s okay. As long as I’m around, I won’t let my son suffer.]

[Work is annoying, but thankfully, Old Luo helped arrange things. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to keep looking after Xingxing. Being an old father is tough.]

[I don’t know what’s going on recently. The number of casualties is increasing even though the mission difficulty hasn’t changed. I don’t get it.]

Ruan Xing frowned slightly. Most of Ruan Zhi’s previous diary entries had focused on his son, but now the emphasis had shifted. Did that mean work was putting him under immense pressure?

The final entry in the diary read:

[Once I return from this mission, I’ll take a month off and take my son on a trip.]

But… that was also the last thing he ever wrote.

In the other section of the drawer, there was a posthumous award certificate and a brand-new bank card.

It seemed that this room had been locked by Ruan Xing himself.

Fu Gui hopped onto his shoulder at some point. “My condolences.”

The mycelium peeked out from Ruan Xing’s collar, lightly brushing against him.

Fu Gui added, “Don’t worry, I won’t let you spend the pension on a new TV.”

Ruan Xing let out a faint hum. “At least you have some conscience.”

The crow tilted its head back in a proud, self-satisfied manner as if proud of being a thoughtful little companion.

Members of the Investigation Corps were required to submit their equipment after every mission. The recorded footage was archived, either for training purposes or as a reference.

However, Ruan Xing’s equipment had been destroyed in battle—shattered into useless debris—so he had to give a verbal debriefing.

Fu Zhi had just returned from a mission. After taking a bath, his damp hair still held traces of moisture and carried a faint scent of woodsy shower gel. He had changed into a neat and impeccably pressed uniform.

Ruan Xing called out, “Captain.”

Fu Zhi pulled out a chair and sat across from him. The light, clean scent of his body wash lingered in the air.

He curled his lips into a gentle smile, warm like winter sunlight. “Feeling better?”

It seems that he actually treated his people well. Ruan Xing had expected him to get straight to business, but to his surprise, the captain was showing concern for his condition first.

He nodded. “Much better.”

Fu Zhi lowered his gaze, picked up a recording pen, and patiently confirmed, “If you’re not up for it, we can wait a few more days.”

Ruan Xing shook his head. “It’s fine. I’m fully recovered.”

Fu Zhi sighed lightly. “Alright. I’ll ask, you answer.”

“After separating from Qiao Zhi, where did you go?”

“When we split up, I was assigned to the Hatchery. I discovered a few weaknesses in the creatures, so…” Ruan Xing answered obediently. He didn’t want to arouse suspicion, so he modified his explanation—changing the part about killing the larvae to destroying the incubation pods.

“How was the Queen eliminated?” Fu Zhi seemed particularly curious about this. He had already heard part of the story from Pei Ye, but he wanted to hear it from Ruan Xing himself.

“The Queen wasn’t particularly strong in terms of attack. After she was restrained, I used mycelium to bind the flying ants together. She also struggled but couldn’t break free. Fu Gui suspected that she was the pollution source, so I shot her.”

“Interesting.” Fu Zhi tapped the pen thoughtfully. “Something originally meant as food ended up restraining a pollutant. I suppose an antidote often exists beside the poison, right? That’s a clever approach.”

He spun the black signature pen between his long fingers, leaving bold, powerful strokes on the paper.

[Estimated Mental Threshold: 200+]

[Unique Blood Traits]

[Pollution Resistance]

[Crow]

[Mycelium]

“The mycelium—is it still with you?” Fu Zhi set the pen down with a soft clack.

Ruan Xing extended his wrist, where a fine strand of mycelium emerged.

“Would you mind if I sent a sample to the Research Institute?”

Ruan Xing shook his head. He was also curious about it, so he would actually feel relieved if they could really figure it out.

Fu Zhi stood up and leaned closer. The refreshing scent of his body wash became more pronounced.

His slightly damp hair fell into Ruan Xing’s line of sight as he bent down, and a silver pendant around his neck also came into view.

His well-proportioned fingers reached out—leaving a faint, tingling sensation as they gently stroked Ruan Xing’s wrist.

Ruan Xing stared without blinking, but his fingers curled slightly.

“Don’t move.”

Fu Zhi’s voice was low, his breath warm against Ruan Xing’s wrist, making the ticklish sensation even worse.

He hooked a strand of mycelium, which was obedient but trembled slightly in his grip.

With a small knife, he carefully sliced off a portion.

Unlike the fierce resistance during Qiao Zhi's attack, the mycelium just quivered and weakly retracted, clinging to Ruan Xing’s wrist for comfort. Like a pet dog that had just been vaccinated, whining pitifully while burrowing into its owner’s embrace.

Fu Zhi carefully sealed the sample in a transparent bag and stood up. After being separated from the main body, the severed strand inside the bag didn’t move again. It was unclear whether it was afraid or had simply lost its vitality.

Ruan Xing stared at the key to his mage tower, then asked seriously, "Captain, the pendant on your neck is very beautiful. Where did you buy it?"

Fu Zhi glanced at him. "I didn’t buy it."

Ruan Xing’s eyes lit up. “Then where did you find it?”

Hurry up and tell me. If I find my mage tower, I will leave this place immediately.

Fu Zhi was intrigued by the youth’s interest. "Why do you assume it wasn’t a gift?"

Because that’s mine! There’s no way I’d give it to you!

For a moment, Ruan Xing was unsure how to respond. It was obvious that Fu Zhi didn’t want to reveal where the key came from.

Fu Zhi sighed softly. “Next time we go on a mission, come with me.”

Ruan Xing blinked. “Huh?”

Fu Zhi straightened up. Under normal circumstances, his posture would have been imposing, but his gentle expression softened the effect.

"Didn’t you say before that you wanted to go on missions with me?"

Ruan Xing nodded. Of course, he had to go. Where else would he find clues? He couldn’t win a fight against these people, so his only option was to gather information quietly.

Fu Zhi’s brow relaxed slightly. “Good. Get some rest. There’s a team dinner tomorrow night—don’t forget to attend.”